Are You Ready To Rosé?

Do you plaster #yeswayrose all over your Instagram account, or are you yet to find one that really floats your boat? There’s so much more to rosé than the three P’s – Pale, Pink and Provence.

Rosé has been in growth mode for several years and with a huge number of New Zealand brands producing their own pink plonk, we have more choice than ever. Is pale and dry your go-to or rosé bubbles your favourite? Whatever your tastes, I have some top drops for you to seek out, they will make your taste buds sing and you’ll be drinking #roseallday before you know it.

Matawhero Single Vineyard Pinot Rosé 2019
Gisborne

Gisborne is one of New Zealand’s oldest wine regions. Situated on the rugged East Coast of the North Island, the first place in the world to see the sun rise on a new day, Gisborne is a small region producing some big wines. Matawhero released its first wines in 1975, made by wine industry legends Bill and Denis Irwin. It is now owned by Kirsten and Richard Searle who continue to keep this iconic brand thriving.

Pinot Noir grapes taken from the low cropped vines of the Tietjen Vineyard in the Hexton Hills are handled gently with minimal skin contact to ensure the perfect amount of colour and flavour extraction. A cool ferment is used to preserve the delicate aromas and light filtering so the creamy texture can be retained.

The colour is pale coral with a pink hue, pronounced aromas of red apple, watermelon, pomegranate seeds and white blossom leap from the glass. The flavours of ripe red berries with hints of citrus linger on the palate and the wine finishes with mouth watering acidity.

Yalumba The Y Series Sangiovese Rosé 2019
South Australia

We watch on helplessly as the Australian bushfires ravage the countryside and irreversibly change the lives of so many, including the wine industry. With the motto “Embrace the magnificent unknown”, we know Yalumba with its 170 years of experience will come through this difficult time and continue to produce top Australian wines.

The fruit is sourced from two vineyards in the Barossa Valley and vineyards in the Terra Rossa and Riverland regions. Blending the Sangiovese from the distinctly different soil types adds to the character and complexity of this rosé wine. Once crushed, the juice spends up to three hours on skins and then goes into stainless steel tanks to ferment using indigenous yeasts.

This vegan-friendly wine is a delicate peach colour and expresses the varietal from which it came with sour cherry, wild red berry and spice aromas. There is a richness to the palate, flavours of baked apple and rhubarb, peach and tangy berries remain long after the wine is gone.

Peregrine Pinot Noir Rosé 2019
Central Otago

Peregrine is one of the most recognised Central Otago brands in New Zealand. Situated in the Gibbston Valley, a short drive from Queenstown, the Peregrine cellar door is surrounded by beautiful vineyards and sits alongside their award-winning winery. This is a must visit on your next trip to Central Otago.

Coming from Certified Organic vineyards in the Bendigo and Cromwell Basin sub regions, the grapes are handpicked, whole bunch pressed and fermented at cool temperatures. Winemaker, Nadine Cross has been at Peregrine since 2010. Nadine is extremely quality focussed with her winemaking and also believes strongly in letting the wines tell the story of the land from which they came.

A pretty soft pink with aromas of green apple, freshly cut watermelon, elderflower and ripe strawberries. A crisp, dry wine with bright flavours of fresh mixed red berries and juicy yellow plum on the palate with a burst of zesty acidity on the lingering finish.

Filigree Rosé by Moi Wines 2019
Auckland

The new premium range by Moi Wines, Filigree, is named after the intricate and delicate jewellery style and it also ties into winemaker and owner Renee Dale’s love of creating wines with texture. “A friend and mentor once said “wine, like life, is about texture” which in turn influenced my winemaking style”. Renee has been making wine in Auckland for eight years, including her role as Assistant Winemaker at Westbrook, where she has been for the last three years.

Coming from a long growing season, this wine is a field blend consisting of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah with a splash of Malbec. Using both stainless steel and old oak barrels for fermentation adds to the sophistication of the palate. It is as interesting as it sounds!

An eye-catching bright crimson red/pink, the wine is overflowing with layers of stone fruit, red berries, vanilla and rhubarb blossom on the nose. The palate is packed full of delicious juicy raspberry, red currants and rhubarb and finishes with citrus flowers and an invigorating but soft acidity.

Villa Maria Platinum Selection Organic Pinot Noir Rosé 2019
Marlborough

With the release of the movie Vintage on the 15th of February (available to watch on ThreeNow), we are given the rare opportunity to see exactly what it’s like to be in the vineyard during the busiest time in the wine industry – harvest.

Having been with Villa Maria for six years, Senior Marlborough Winemaker Helen Morrison knows only too well how hectic this time of year can be. “Harvest is the most exciting time of year for winemakers as it’s the only chance we have to make all the decisions necessary for crafting great wines” says Helen, “We have to work with whatever mother nature has delivered us and carefully access each block of fruit to determine its flavour potential, when it’s at peak ripeness and then schedule each block to be harvested in the right timeframe. Which sounds easy, but when you multiple that out by the number of vineyards we harvest and all the different varieties, different quality tiers and complicated further with organic blocks, there are a lot of considerations to be made.”

This certified organic wine is beautifully fragrant, sweet-tart raspberry, juicy strawberry, white peach and hints of lemon zest on the nose. The aromas carry onto the crisp, dry palate and are joined by crunchy apple. The finish is full of chalky minerality adding to the complexity of the wine.

Redmetal Cabernet Franc Rosé 2018
Hawke’s Bay

Redmetal is a small producer in the Bridge Pa Triangle subregion of the Hawke’s Bay which takes its name from the description of the soils found in the vineyards. Owner and winemaker Grant Edmonds produces premium wines from the 6.5 hectares of plantings which include Cabernet Franc, Albariño, Merlot and Syrah.
Made from 100% Cabernet Franc, quite unusual in New Zealand, the juice spends a maximum of six hours on skins and is then fermented. The wines spends several months on lees (dead yeast cells) to create texture and palate weight in the wine.

Medium salmon pink with intense cranberry, pink rose petal and dried red currant aromas with a hint of savouriness. A surprising amount of palate weight which isfilled with dense flavours of red cherry, strawberry and currant and a delightfully creamy texture. An extremely moreish wine.

Nautilus Vintage Rosé 2016
Marlborough

Nautilus, established in 1985, is a member of both the Family of Twelve, a group of family-owned wineries working together to promote premium New Zealand wines, and Méthode Marlborough, an organisation assuring the quality of sparkling wine made in Marlborough. This shows that Nautilus are proudly quality-focussed, but they also strive to produce expressive, textural and food friendly wines.

This sparkling wine is made entirely from a single clone of Pinot Noir from a single vineyard. The grapes are handpicked and destemmed before pressing to promote skin contact and light extraction of colour without maceration. Fermented to dry and bottled for secondary fermentation, the wine spends 30 months on lees before disgorgement.

A glass of pretty pink wine with persistent and very fine bubbles carrying the delicate aromas of red cherry, raspberry, vanilla and freshly baked brioche to the surface. Red berries and red apple dominate the palate, the wine finishes dry with crisp, lively acidity.

Elephant Hill Tempranillo Rosé 2018
Hawke’s Bay

Elephant Hill’s home is in Te Awanga, beautiful vineyards, a stunning restaurant (which I highly recommend) and tasting room, along with a statement winery, all overlooking the waves of the Pacific Ocean. With vineyards also planted in the Bridge Pa Triangle and Gimblett Gravels, Elephant Hill have many options for blending the perfect wine or producing single vineyard expressions.

This rosé is made with Tempranillo, the grape variety native to Spain that is the base of the famous wines of Rioja, grown in the Bridge Pa subregion. Coming from the warm 2018 vintage, the pressed juice spends only an hour on the grape’s skins before it is fermented to dry in stainless steel tanks.

Complex aromas of raspberry, cranberry, citrus and camomile overwhelm the senses. This wine is structured and dry but has generous flavours of crisp apple, lemon, raspberry and a wet stone minerality. A lovely white pepper spice is found on the long finish.